SOF

Arab World Warns US “Don’t Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital”

With President Donald Trump considering moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, the Arab League, Turkey, and Jordan have warned against it this stating the move that could fuel violence across the region.

The warnings come as US President Donald Trump considers moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, effectively recognizing the ancient city as Israel’s capital despite Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem.

Monday was the deadline for a decision on the move, but the White House said Monday evening that Trump had delayed his choice by several days.
“The president has been clear on this issue from the get-go; that it’s not a matter of if, but a matter of when,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said.
Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman on Monday urged Trump to take the “historic opportunity” to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, saying he hopes to “see an American embassy here in Jerusalem next week or next month.”
The status of Jerusalem has been a key stumbling block during previous peace negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians, in particular regarding the question of how to divide sovereignty and oversee holy sites. Another major issue is illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
The international community has never recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital or its unilateral annexation of territory around the city’s eastern sector, which it captured during the 1967 Six-Day War.

The Arab League neglects to mention that the “peace process” that they tout, when it is convenient for them has a major stumbling block. The Palestinians deny Israel’s right to exist. So arguing over where they choose their capital is really rather secondary.

However, in truth, all religious parties, Muslim, Jewish, Christian have rightful claims to the area. The only true way is to have Jerusalem open to all, which it is right now. By turning over the city to the Palestinian Authority, would be an end to that.

To read the entire article from Deutsche Welle click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 2, Day 3

Tuesday is a leg day at the gym. These exercises build strength and explosion in your lower body and you’ll need both in Selection. These will also help your times with both running and carrying a rucksack.

Make sure you are hydrating enough during the workout and do a good stretch before and after. No one likes Leg Day but learn to embrace it and drive through. Eventually, it will become one of your favorite days.

Training – Prep for UBRR:

3 x Pullups 10 reps

3 x Front Squat 20-15-12 reps (lighter weight barbell)

3 x Goblet Squats 20-15-12 reps (lighter dumbbell)

3 x 10 Leg Extensions

3 x Sled Push

30 x “V” Ups

3-mile run

Stretch well after completion

SWC Is Always Under the Microscope, Now From the Outside

Opinion: By now, practically everyone associated with Special Operations Forces have heard of, read, and/or discussed the recent letter from a “concerned Green Beret” that blasted the command climate at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School at Ft. Bragg, NC.

Titled “Careerism, Cronyism, and Malfeasance in SWCS: The End of SF Capability”, the letter went into minute detail about how the command of SWC, is putting undue influence and pressure onto the cadre of the school to push unfit, unqualified Special Forces candidates thru the school’s pipeline to the operational Special Forces groups. The letter was first published on Sofrep.com but was sent out thru normal army channels to SF units all over the world.

As many of our readers who are current or former members of the Regiment and SWC, the schoolhouse is always under the microscope. Because the course, the Special Forces Qualification Course is almost like a living document. It changes with the command environment, it will evolve as strategic and tactical situations that the troops face on the evolving battlefield change. But the one thing that no one wants to see is outside influence and eyes on the course from those who aren’t from the community. When outside influences with no knowledge or background in Special Forces come to bear on the training of said force, it usually doesn’t end well.

The author, or authors (rumor has it, it was a recently retired SWC instructor, unconfirmed)… as I suspect there were numerous hands involved in this piece, went into minute detail describing in a 6,300 piece, that officers and senior NCOs have put career advancement ahead of the Regiment’s well-being:

Our Regiment has a cancer, and it is destroying the SF legacy, its capability, and its credibility.
SWCS has devolved into a cesspool of toxic, exploitive, biased and self-serving senior Officers who are bolstered by submissive, sycophantic, and just-as-culpable enlisted leaders. They have doggedly succeeded in two things; furthering their careers, and ensuring that Special Forces more prolific, but dangerously less capable than ever before. Shameless and immodest careerism has, in no uncertain terms, effectively destroyed our ability to assess, train, and prepare students, or to identify those students that pose very real risk to Operational Detachments. I cannot stress how systematic and severe the effects on the force will be if the standards, recently implemented here in the Special Forces Qualification Course, remain in place.

The author name names, specific incidents and other details that… which if any are true, worthy of serious concern and need to be addressed by the command asap. And the purpose here isn’t to decide whether or not they are entirely true.

We’re no longer involved in the pipeline of the SF training and assessment of candidates at SWC. It isn’t for us to decide whether or not these complaints, (and there is a slew of them) are worthy of merit. But the one thing we’ve built in our own experiences is trust. Trust in one another and trust in the process. The instructors have earned that trust and we now have to believe in what they’re telling all of us is a problem. If this many of the current SF instructors feel this way, then it is a truth in their eyes and reflects a serious problem in the pipeline. And as former instructors at SWC and members of the Regiment, we stand behind what they’re seeing, without casting judgments at anyone or specific incidents. And these issues aren’t new, instructors many times in the past have felt the same way at different times and in different eras.

Then it becomes the command’s duty to change that. The school and the command element at SWC must have its instructors, all of them, to believe that what they’re doing is not only the right thing but an essential part in perpetuating the long-term viability of the Regiment. It is called leadership. If instructors don’t believe in what they’re doing, the entire process becomes flawed. The Regiment can’t afford that.

The Commander of SWC, MG Kurt L. Sonntag, who was the recipient of so much of the criticism in the letter, didn’t try to sweep it under the rug, but to his credit, addressed the allegations in a very timely manner. While he didn’t address details, and we expected that, he tried to ensure all of the instructors, at SWC that the standards remain in place and that nothing has changed.

“Many of you have seen the anonymous letter calling into question the integrity of our training standards and the quality of the Soldiers being produced. Let me be clear, I would be proud to serve with each and every one of our Special Forces Qualification Course graduates, and I stand behind the quality of every Soldier we are sending to the operational force.”
“As the operational environment changes, we will continue to adjust instruction to fulfill our obligation to produce fully-qualified Army Special Operations Soldiers. Some of the comments in the email warrant further evaluation, and we are doing that through formal inquiries and a number of existing institutional forums.”

“Let me reiterate, CSM Arrowsmith and I seek healthy dialogue as a means of improvement. Every level of the command has been encouraged to challenge the current process, phasing and training methodology to ensure SWCS’ training remains relevant to meet the needs of the 1st SFC (A). Training at SWCS will continue to evolve to meet the needs of the Army. We will remain relevant while upholding the highest academic, military and physical standards. SWCS strives for a professional, rewarding experience for its students, cadre and families.”

We’ve read numerous posts from NCOs and Officers on social media platforms that have worked with MG Sonntag, who will attest to his knowledge and integrity and don’t buy at all into his pushing the standards lower to achieve a greater success rate in the course to further his own career. And we’ve seen others post on those same social media sites that the allegations are correct. The two sides have to meet somewhere in the middle. And they will.

The general wrote (where the underlining was ours, not his), that certain parts of the letter will require further examination. The hope here is that SWC and the command will delve into the issues brought up in the letter and not waste time in trying to pin down “who” wrote it. The who is unimportant, the issues that the instructors bring up are the crux of the matter. We’ve seen the rumors that certain elements of the command are actively trying to track down the writer of the letter. No good can come of that. Witch hunts only end badly and destroy the fabric of what makes our Regiment so great.

That the school and the SWC command and the soldiers in it are always under the microscope goes without saying. They’re constantly being evaluated by the Regiment on the quality of the troops being sent forward. We wrote back in April that the standards of the Regiment have to remain high. But that occasionally, and this would be one of those times, that outsiders become involved in the process.

The Special Operations community is always under the spotlight even though they themselves would rather remain in the shadows as the “Quiet Professionals” but because of their nature, the public and the government are fascinated by them.

As a result, too many times, people in government with no operational experience, nor any idea what it takes to operate in a Special Operations environment, read up a bit and become instant experts. They then try to get involved with the training and assessment with Special Operations troops. This usually doesn’t end well.

Let’s all hope that this doesn’t turn into one of those situations but unfortunately, the opposite may be true. Outsiders and non-Long Tab wearers have no business getting involved in Special Forces training.

There have always been criticisms of SWC and the SFQC, for 65 years every graduation for the course constitutes the “Last Hard Class” or the first easy one depending upon one’s point of view and level of sarcasm. But this letter speaks of much deeper problems. Judging from MG Sonntag’s letter of response, they’re going to address those issues.

The general does bring up an interesting topic when changes were made to the SFAS (Special Forces Selection and Assessment) Course in 2011, the cadre were identifying candidates who were failing out of the SFQC but had successfully passed selection. Major Brian Decker made the changes to Selection and the results were a big increase in the number of troops successfully passing SFQC. So there shouldn’t be a large percentage of failures after Selection. We spoke with him back in the spring about the changes to and the improvements in the course.

But the instructors have a point. Some troops just don’t belong in SF, it isn’t an indictment on those troops. It just isn’t cut out for everyone. The beret and tab will not make a man a better soldier. That comes from within, the man makes the beret and tab special, not the other way around. And a candidate who voluntarily withdraws should never be put back into the course.

The Special Forces Regiment is one that the troops who have served in and are currently serving in, put out the best-trained soldiers on the planet. No one wants to see that change. Let us hope that the current command in the Special Warfare Center address any issues out there and continue with the Regiment’s legacy of excellence.

De Oppresso Liber

Photo: US Army

Israel Strikes Iranian Base in Syria Outside of Damascus

An Iranian military base near Damascus came under attack just after midnight Saturday by missiles from the Israeli military, according to Lebanon’s Al-Mustaqbal TV and the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya network.

Twelve Iranian military personnel were killed in the air strike, Syrian sources claim that they intercepted and shot down two Israeli missiles.

Arab media reports said Israel fired missiles at a military base Iran has been building near the Syrian city of al-Qiswa, reportedly destroying an arms depot.
Some media outlets affiliated with the Assad regime and Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah initially reported that Israeli warplanes targeted an ammunition bunker belonging to the Syrian Army. But other media outlets reported that the target was a military base that Iran is building in the area, 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Israeli border, and that loud explosions were heard after the attack.
There was no immediate official Israeli comment. Israel does not, as a rule, comment on reported strikes in Syria.
Hours after the reported strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a warning to Iran about troops in Syria.
“Let me reiterate Israel’s policy: We will not allow a regime hell-bent on the annihilation of the Jewish state to acquire nuclear weapons. We will not allow that regime to entrench itself militarily in Syria, as it seeks to do, for the express purpose of eradicating our state,” said Netanyahu.

Israel has stated that the Iranians were trying to build a permanent base in Syria, close to the Israeli border. As their aims are to build up a larger presence in the Mediterranean. Thus far, Tehran has been silent over this latest development.

To read the entire article from The Times of Israel click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

North Koreans are Suffering from Nuclear Tests Say Defectors

North Korean citizens who live near the country’s nuclear test site believe that they are suffering from radiation exposure and fear that the health of many others is in jeopardy, according to defectors who made their way south.

One former North Korean, Lee Jeong Hwa tells her story with a familiar twist. That North Korean citizens are paying the price for Kim Jong Un’s nuclear testing. Lee says she’s in constant pain.

But back home, things are much worse, she says.
“So many people died we began calling it ‘ghost disease,'” she said. “We thought we were dying because we were poor and we ate badly. Now we know it was the radiation.”
As Lee rubs her sore right leg in the office of SAND, a nongovernmental organization in Seoul that advocates human rights in North Korea, she recounted how she was caught trying to flee the country in 2003.
She eventually escaped in 2010 from her home in Kilju County, home of North Korea’s nuclear testing site, Punggye-ri.
During the last seven years Lee lived in the North, the leader at the time, Kim Jong Il, test-detonated two nuclear bombs near her home. Since Kim’s death in 2011, his son and heir, Kim Jong Un, has tested four more. He claimed the one tested in September was a hydrogen bomb.

While researchers and scientists in the south believe the defectors and their stories, they are suffering from a lack of data to completely document the cause of so many maladies. The South Koreans did detect a trace of radioactive Xenon after a North Korean test.

To read the entire article from NBC News click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 2, Day 2

After the rucksack march of Sunday, we go back to the gym with some prep for the Upper Body Round Robin (UBRR) followed by a 3-mile run. Set the pace for as fast you can and try to better the standard and the time of your last run.

When doing the pushups, don’t worry about speed so much right now, ensure that you’re using very strict form. The cadre at Selection are sticklers for perfect form. Get in the habit now and the PT Test will be a breeze when you take it for real.

Training:

More preparation for the UBRR

2 x 30-seconds Pushups

2 x 30-seconds Sit-ups

2 x 30-seconds, Crunches

2 x Dips as many as possible to muscle failure

3-mile run

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 2, Day 1

Time for our Sunday morning rucksack march, we’ll warm up with quick exercises and a stretch and then hit the trail for a 5-mile march over varied or uneven terrain. Make sure that ruck fits correctly and the same for your boots and socks. You can reference some of our earlier pieces for any information on those.

Try to push as hard as you can without running. Do the best that you can. And remember to drink plenty of water on the course. Don’t let yourself get dehydrated.

Training:

Warm up 30 seconds Mountain Climbers

Warm up 30 seconds Spider-Man Planks

5-mile Ruck march over varied terrain with a minimum 45-pound ruck (75 minutes max)

Stretch well after completion

Special Operations Forces Selection PT Preparation Week 1, Day 5

Back in the gym this morning before heading out for a run. But first today it is a back, and shoulders workout. Go heavy with the pulldowns and keep it under control, slowly pulling the weight up and lowering it back to the rack. Use strict form on the dumbbell raises and presses as well. Then head out for the run.

Training:

More Preparation for the UBRR:

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, behind the neck (go as heavy as possible)

3 x 12 Lat Pulldowns, front

3 x 10 Dumbbell Side Raises

3 x 10 Seated Bent-Over Delt Raise

3 x 10 Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 10 Arnold Dumbbell Press

3-mile run (24 minutes maximum)

Stretch well after completion

USASOC Turns 27 Years Old Today, December 1, 1989

Time flies when you are having fun, or in the case of the United States Army Special Operations Command, when you are employed so heavily, the years, never mind the days and months fly by.

On today’s date in 1989, USASOC was activated and although it wasn’t that long ago, the world, as well as the command has changed a great deal. The command was activated just days before the US would invade Panama, or in the case of many troops involved from USASOC, namely the 3rd Bn, 7th Special Forces Group and SOCSOUTH, they’d just pick up and move out from their team rooms.

The command was activated and went right into Just Cause, and shortly thereafter Desert Shield, Desert Storm. And it seemed like the op-tempo never slowed down.

Since 9/11 and the quick invasion of Afghanistan right after that, no major command in the Army has been involved in the Global War on Terror as heavily as USASOC.

History: On Dec. 1, 1989, the Department of the Army established USASOC at Fort Bragg, N.C. , as a major Army command to enhance the readiness of Army special operations forces.

In addition to reporting to the Department of the Army, USASOC also functions as the Army component of the U.S. Special Operations Command, or USSOCOM, located at MacDill Air Force Base, Fla. USSOCOM is the unified combatant command responsible for all Department of Defense special operations forces within the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.

From the USASOC Command Page:
Structure: With an allocated strength of approximately 23,000 Soldiers, USASOC commands both active-duty and Army Reserve special operations forces. The command also provides oversight of Army National Guard special operations forces’ readiness, organization, training, and employment in coordination with the National Guard Bureau and state adjutants general.

USASOC controls seven major subordinate elements, which in turn train and maintain forces for deployment by USSOCOM to combatant command theaters worldwide.

USASOC has four major subordinate commands that include the 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) (Provisional), U. S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command, all located at Fort Bragg, N.C. Located elsewhere is the 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga.

The 1st Special Forces Command (Airborne) (Provisional), Fort Bragg, N.C., controls five active Special Forces groups and has training oversight for two groups in the Army National Guard. The Green Berets are uniquely selected, trained and equipped for deployment around the world during peacetime, conflict, and war. Regionally and culturally oriented, Special Forces Soldiers are experts in unconventional warfare, direct action, special reconnaissance, foreign internal defense and combating terrorism. The command also includes the 4th and 8th Military Information Support Groups (Airborne), the 95th Civil Affairs Brigade (Airborne) and the 528th Sustainment Brigade (Airborne).

The U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School (SWCS) at Fort Bragg, N.C., is one of the Army’s premier education institutions, managing and resourcing professional growth for Soldiers in the Army’s three distinct special-operations branches: Special Forces, Civil Affairs, and Military Information Support.

The 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga. , is the Army’s premier light infantry force. The Rangers are flexible, highly-trained and rapidly deployable Soldiers with specialized skills who can be employed against a variety of targets. The regiment’s three battalions plan and conduct direct action missions in support of U.S. policy objectives.

The U.S. Army Special Operations Aviation Command organizes, mans, trains, resources and equips ARSOAC units to provide responsive, special operations aviation support to Special Operations Forces and is the USASOC Aviation staff proponent

1st SFC: The US Army 1st Special Forces Command is tasked with organizing, equipping, training, and validating forces to conduct full spectrum special operations in support of USSOCOM, Geographic Combatant Commanders, American ambassadors, and other governmental agencies.

Special Forces Green Berets deploy and execute nine doctrinal missions: unconventional warfare, foreign internal defense, direct action, counter-insurgency, special reconnaissance, counter-terrorism, information operations, counter-proliferation of WMD, and security force assistance.

There are five active component and two National Guard Special Forces Groups. Each SF Group is regionally oriented to support the US interests in their specific area.

1st SFG(A): Joint Base Lewis-McChord Washington

3rd SFG(A): Ft. Bragg, NC

5th SFG(A): Ft. Campbell, KY

7th SFG(A): Eglin, AFB FL

10th SFG(A): Ft. Carson, CO

19th SFG(A): Draper, UT

20th SFG(A): Birmingham, AL

4th Military Information Support Group: The 4th MISG remains the Army’s only active military information support operations unit.

The ranks of the 4th MISG include regional and language-trained experts who understand political, cultural, ethnic and religious subtleties. With functional experts in all aspects of tactical communications, the 4th MISG offers joint force commanders unmatched abilities to influence target audiences as well as support to U.S. diplomacy.

95th Civil Affairs Brigade: 95th Civil Affairs Brigade Soldiers enable military commanders and U.S. Ambassadors to improve relationships
with various stakeholders in a local area to meet the objectives of the U.S. government.

95th Civil Affairs Brigade teams work with U.S. Department of State country teams, government and nongovernmental organizations at all levels and with local populations in peaceful, contingency and hostile environments.

US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School: The JFKSWC trains, educates, develops and manages world-class Civil Affairs, Psychological Operations and Special Forces warriors and leaders in order to provide our nation with highly educated, innovative and adaptive operators.

1st Special Warfare Training Group

Special Warfare Education Group

Special Warfare Medical Group
Special Warfare Warrant Officer Institute

David K. Thuma Noncommissioned Officer Academy

Directorate of Training and Doctrine

Branch Proponents (CA, PSYOP, & SF)

Army Special Operations Capabilities Integration Center

ARSOF Training, Leader Development, and Education

ARSOF Personnel Policies and Programs Center

US Army Special Operations Aviation Command: The USASOAC traces its lineage back to the early 1960s when Special Forces were just beginning to expand and the unit supported the 5th, 7th and 1st SFGs in Vietnam. After the debacle at Desert One in 1980, the Army dedicated a command specifically for Special Operations Aviation. Today, 160th SOAR has almost 3000 soldiers and more than 200 aircraft.

160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment: Ft. Campbell, KY

75th Ranger Regiment: The Ranger Regiment has four geographically displaced battalions ready to deploy at a moment’s notice. Their capabilities include air assault and direct action raids seizing key terrain such as airfields, destroying strategic facilities, and capturing or killing the enemy.

1st Ranger Bn: Hunter Army Airfield, GA

2nd Ranger Bn: Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA

3rd Ranger Bn: Ft. Benning, GA

75th Ranger Special Troops Bn:

USASOC has certainly grown since the early days of the command and it will continue to grow. The demands placed upon the Special Operations troops of the military has continued to stretch the units to their breaking point. The demand for high-quality Special Operations troops is higher now than ever before.

With the US government using Special Operations troops as their “Go-To” first unit of choice, USSOCOM and USASOC will be tasked to do more and more as the events of the world play out.

Photos: USASOC

Pentagon to Indefinitely Delay a Ban on Cluster Munitions

The Pentagon’s plan to ban the use of older types of cluster bombs due to take effect on Jan. 1, 2019, has been delayed indefinitely. US officials are stating that safety improvements in munitions technology, in particular, because of a large number of bombs that failed to explode hasn’t advanced enough to replace older stockpiles.

Cluster bombs can be dropped by air or fired by artillery, and they scatter tiny bomblets across a wide area but are prone many times with the failure to explode. That can make them a deadly side effect long after the conflict and poses a danger to civilians.

The U.S. military had hoped to transition to cluster munitions that explode at least 99 percent of time, greatly reducing the risks.
“Although the Department seeks to field a new generation of more highly reliable munitions, we cannot risk mission failure or accept the potential of increased military and civilian casualties by forfeiting the best available capabilities,” the Pentagon memo says.
Disclosure of the new policy met sharp criticism from Congress and human rights groups.
Senator Patrick Leahy, a Democrat who has helped lead efforts to restrict use of cluster bombs, said the Pentagon was, in effect, “perpetuating use of an indiscriminate weapon that has been shown to have high failure rates.”
Senator Dianne Feinstein called the move “unbelievable.”

The Pentagon has stated that they haven’t used cluster munitions in several years and is working on new technology that will result in a 99 percent rate of explosion when dropped as well as a built-in safety device that will render the bomblets inert after 15 minutes of being dropped.

To read the entire article from Reuters click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia